City manager admits frustration

MANCHESTER City manager Manuel Pellegrini has admitted his frustration at losing ground in the title race.

Pellegrini, whose side plays Stoke City tonight, is also disappointed his strikers have failed to fire during a sequence that has seen Chelsea pull seven points clear.

The reigning champions appeared to have got themselves back into title contention having reduced the eight–point advantage Chelsea held over them in November to zero by the turn of the year.

But a run of four league games without a win has allowed Jose Mourinho's men to reclaim the initiative.

Pellegrini said: “Yes, it’s frustrating. To be seven points behind again is disappointing for all of us. But it doesn’t mean that we are not going to fight to recover those points.”

Chief among Pellegrini's irritations is the lack of goal output from his forwards, with Sergio Aguero, Stevan Jovetic and Edin Dzeko all to get back to full speed after injuries.